What is Online Reputation Management?

The days of hearing what a someone said about a person or company have ended. The Internet has made it easier for someone to write about or make a video about someone or a company. Often, a person or company may need an online reputation management tool to keep track of what is being said.

What is an Online Reputation?

An online reputation is multiple combinations of mentions about a person or company on the Internet. These mentions, which can come from social media posts, blogs or articles, can be negative or positive. They are often not sought by the subject of the post, blog or article. They can be added online by a family, friend, employee, enemy or stranger. In addition, they can be posted anonymously. Not everyone has information about them on the Internet. Sometimes a company or person can have an online reputation and not know it.

Is an Online Reputation Important?

Yes. An online reputation can make or break a business. A business depends on its brand name. The brand name is how existing and potential customers recognize a company. Negative reviews, opinions and posts can prevent a company from growing and earning money. Positive reviews, posts and opinions can do the exact opposite.
Online reputation is also important to a person. Many employers often look up a potential employee online to find out more about them. A bad online reputation can limit career opportunities.

What is Online Reputation Management?

Online reputation management is the act of influencing, monitoring and growing the mentions posted online about a person or business. To influence or grow an online reputation means the placing positive posts, articles and blogs online. Managing the online reputation refers to observing the mentions posted for any negative comments.

What are the Elements of Online Reputation Management?
A lot of elements go into online reputation management. For instance, review monitoring is important. Reviews on various online platforms are one of the first places a customer goes to post a comment about a business. Review monitoring is great for catching negative reviews. Responding to those reviews is another way to manage reviews. A business should always respond to all reviews posted about it. This shows the business is engaged with their brand and keeping potential customers. The same thing goes for social mentions for a company. They should always be responded to by the company. An individual wanting to improve or save their personal reputation may to engage in monitoring their online reputation.

Never Try to Handle Online Reputation Management without Assistance

The best attempts to manage a reputation online can go wrong very quickly. A business owner may not be able to word things correctly. This may lead to future trouble when writing an online post in response to a negative review. Instead, have an online reputation company to assist in putting positive information about the individual and/or brand.